Explore Outdoors: Don't fall for Mark Twain's 'Dead Sea' description of this lake

A sign near the water's edge suggests that Mark Twain once described Mono Lake as the "Dead Sea of California." He is further quoted as suggesting it is a "solemn, silent, sail-less sea ... lonely tenant of the loneliest spot on earth." However, this spot is anything but dead. Twain's description does not indicate the abundant life, the unusual water and the unique landscapes that await those who venture a trip down Highway 395 in the Eastern Sierra. Mono Lake, at 65 square miles and roughly a million years old, is indeed one of the saltiest lake's in North America. But, it is still home to billions of living things that thrive in its waters. And, none of this even begins to describe the tufas. To see more on the teeming life, the evolving landscape and the survival story behind Mono Lake, watch the video in the player above.